Adventures of an Academia Student
by Chaos-Pulsar
Summary: Every day is an adventure with Michael Phoenix, younger brother of the top student of Academia, Edo Phoenix. With so many expectations placed on him by all those who compared him to his brother, it's too bad he wouldn't be living up to those expectations when he was too busy going on adventures with his pal, Yuri. Edits by CorinnetheAnime and Shimmering-Sky.
1. Molecular Mishap

Michael placed a box full of decorative-looking spheres, all varying in color from one to another, in front of a door in the empty hallway, then left a note beside it for the recipient. He knocked on the door and then ran away to the nearest corner.

Pulling out a camcorder from his leather pocket, he turned it on.

"Ok, Yuri, everything is set on my end! How are things looking for you? Over," he spoke into his earpiece.

"Just hold the camera still and zoom in a bit more," the voice of his friend came through. Yuri was currently in Michael's room on his laptop, receiving a live stream of his current location.

"It's an excellent idea to pick Selena as my next taste subject for my surprise bubbles dish. Where'd you come up with it, Yuri?" Michael asked excitedly.

He used to have Sho and Hayato as his taste testers before Selena, but frankly, they weren't currently available today, hearing they had gone to the hospital on the mainland to get their stomachs pumped for some unknown reason. Luckily, his friend, Yuri came up with a backup tester...which happened to be someone special.

Michael had been running out of taste testers for the dishes he was making with his molecular gastronomy kit...something about upset stomachs or being sick or something like that. So he jumped at the opportunity of having Selena trying his treats.

For Yuri, it was just merely out of revenge that he had suggested Selena to Michael. The reason why Yuri chose Selena as the fallback was for a personal reason: when he has a conversation with her about how great the Professor was for finding Academia and continuing to lead them as their leader, she decided to cut him short...A WHOLE HEAD SHORT! She almost cut his head off with the blade of her duel disk, leaving him lucky to live with nothing more than a few missing strands of hair.

He knew Michael could create dishes from looking at the instructions and having them taste superb, but whenever his friend went creative in making a dish, he didn't want to be on the receiving end. And it had only gotten worse when Michael ordered that kit online to try some girl-cooking styles from a manga he was reading..."Food Wars" he believed it was called.

The only problem to having Selena as a taste tester was that she wasn't going to agree to do this if the offer had been from Michael or him, considering their reputation in Academia...as well as just flat out hating him and not even bothering to hide it from the rest of the school.

Another thing was that Michael required feedback for all dishes to know what to change in the future, and that's where his plan came into play: suggesting a video recording as the next best thing.

"What friend would I be if I couldn't help you out? Besides, I notice: that Selena never got the chance to try any of your new dishes. So why not?" Yuri replayed all of this from the safety of his dorm room, getting a live reaction of Selena's downfall.

"Oh, she finally came out!" Michael spoke quietly, but the excitement could still be heard in his voice.

Looking at the computer, Yuri noticed that what Michael had said was true. Selena responded to the knock, opening the door from the safety of her room. She read the note in one hand and then looked at the box in another with a curious look on her face. Yuri merely chuckled once he saw Selena opening the box.

She plucked one of the small colorful spheres from within the box, rolling it around in her palm before throwing it in her mouth. Her eyes snapped open once the seemingly harmless orb popped in her mouth, her lips puckering from the sheer sourness of the liquid before spitting and coughing and hacking out the remains.

"Awww, she didn't like it. Oh, well, at least I have some data on this batch." As he continued to record Selena actions, Yuri was holding back the laughter threatening to come out of him from the live stream.

"By the way, Michael, what flavor was that yellow one she picked up?" he questioned, naturally curious to see what was the content that would've caused that reaction from the girl.

"Judging from the color...I think its lemonade, but I forgot to add the water and the sugar, so its practically just lemon juice," he answered.

"Oh...oh, I think I globbed up." Yuri automatically got his grip together to look at the computer screen to see what was being broadcasted to him...Selena running towards the camcorder. The next thing he noticed was the video shaking and changing the point of view from an empty hallway to a raging Selena hot on his heels.

'Seems like Michael is running.' Yuri continued to watch.

The only noises he heard were the ragged breathing from Michael and the stomping of feet in the background. Pulling around the nearest hallway, Michael stood against the wall, waiting for the perfect opportunity to stall Selena long enough for him to make his escape.

Hearing the noise of shoes clicking, he immediately pulled out his leg, tripping Selena in the process who seemed to still be carrying the box of the failed batch with her.

Michael took the chance to continue running back to the safety of his room to catalog all of this.

"HEY!" He looked back to where Serena had fallen, which was his mistake as he was greeted with one of his creations being thrown directly at his eyes.

"AWWW, CITRUS!" Michael threw the camcorder behind to rub the stinging acid out from his eyes.

Yuri was greeted by a static screen for a few seconds, only to see Michael getting kneed in the gut by Selena hard enough to launch him in the air, getting his breath knocked out of him. Falling harshly against the floor of the corridor on his back, he was unable to get up.

Selena was slowly walking towards Michael, while he tried desperately to crawl away from the wildcat beast...only to be stopped by her grabbing his ankle and pulling back.

"I should've known if was you from the start." Her voice was filled with venom, causing Michael to shiver in fear. His chances of escape were cut off as soon as she made the grab for his neck, pinning him against the cold floor.

"It's time to learn your lesson that your actions have consequences." Pulling one of the spheres from the box beside her, Michael's eyes widened, getting the idea of the type of torture she would put him through.

"Please don't do this! I'm sorry!" He begged while Yuri could only helplessly watch as Michael's face got stuff with his own medicine. One by one, Selena practically punched each of the colorful orbs into Michael, getting a mixed reaction from each one in the process.

"Yuri, save yourself," was the last thing Michael said before fainting and the screen turning back to static.

With no need to be convinced, Yuri locked his door, closed his laptop, and went to the window to throw down the ladder that Michael had made so they could get to each other's room easier as another means of protection, waiting out the impending doom of Selena.


	2. Promotion Exams

It was just another usual day at Academia for the students attending the school: lectures to go to, deadlines coming up, and, most importantly, promotion exams.

Every year, students must go through two parts of the exam to obtain a rank-up of their current position, one being the written test and the other being the practical test, where students had to duel three times with different opponents and win at least two of the matches to get a guaranteed rank-up.

This promotion exam was where Yuri first met and dueled Michael.

For Yuri, the whole exam so far had been a breeze. The written portion part was entirely made up of questions on the Ancient Gear archetype cards that a majority of students used in the school, and the most efficient way to defeat an opponent with the cards given to you. There were some questions about Fusion, but he had answered them easily as a fish to water.

The dueling part was hardly enjoyable either. He had easily defeated two Obelisk students who barely had a chance against him and Starve Venom. Still, time had passed since he defeated them with most of the students apparently in their first match now.

Deciding to take a break and spectating any potential prey was the best option for now. It's not like the teachers could do anything after seeing his ruthless and sadistic duel style from the last couple of matches.

That's when his eyes found him, a boy around his age with black hair and silver tips and wearing a plain, long-sleeve red shirt and gray pants...and taking on two Obelisk Blue students at once.

"Are you sure that you aren't over your head, kid? Challenging us to a two-on-one duel?" The girl questioned with a snort, apparently wondering if the request was a joke or not.

"You may be the younger brother of Edo Phoenix, but you aren't anything like him." It was the boy this time, Yuri seeing that he already activated his duel, thinking this was going to be an easy victory.

"Of course! As long as Chrono-sensei and Sanders-sensei agree to allow the conditions," the lone boy added, ignoring the insult that went his way of being compared to his big brother.

They awaited the approval of the two named teachers before commencing the duel. For Sanders, it didn't take any time to give them his approval, wanting to see the potential that Michael possessed. He already did the same for Yuri, and he was granted a prodigy to the art of fusion, defeating his opponents with ease. His other students were also being tested throughout the exams to spot the top soldiers he could train that would become the elite.

On the other hand, Chrono was looking like he was having a panic attack. Unlike Sanders who didn't heed the Professor's warning about Michael's illness, he had. Approving this duel might only cause the poor boy's bronchitis to worsen from the strain of a barrage of attacks on one person.

But one could say he was curious of why the lad wanted to duel two high-rank students at once. Plus, he saw the bored face that Michael had throughout his class; that didn't make him a slacker...it was quite the opposite, to be honest, when he listened throughout the class, answered questions when picked on, and turned in assignments on time.

Now that he thought about it, Michael and Yuri were quite similar in that regard. Besides, what was he to do? Allow his student to finally get the challenge or call it off?

"What are you waiting for?! Give them the permission already!" Apparently, throughout his inner monologue, they had been waiting for him for the past three minutes.

"Alright, then, commence the duel!" He announced. Sanders did have that intimidating effect on people to make them do what he wants.

Activating his duel disk first and practically shivering with excitement, Michael drew his starting hand

Turn 1: Michael

Life Points: 4000

{}: 5

"Alright, I got the first turn." Looking at the cards he currently had in his hand, Michael instantly grinned once he saw his favorite two cards in the same hand. "Hmm... Ok, I summon Cyber Valley in attack mode."

A large metallic serpent suddenly came out onto the field with spikes protruding from its sides, red spheres embedded in between them. The scary thing about the monster was the horrifying face of it, having pitch-black holes for eyes and almost look like rotting purple flesh around the mouth. (Lvl 1/ATK 0/DEF 0/)

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Machine Duplication! This allows me to Special Summon two more Machine-type monsters onto the field from my deck as long as the monster I currently have has 500 or fewer ATK points and the same name."

Two more Cyber Valley monsters appeared on the field right alongside the first one.

"And I end my turn with two cards face down!" Passing it to the two duos he was facing.

Turn 2: Daisuke

Life Point: 4000

{}:6

"I'll start where you left of you little runt! Boku no tann, draw! I summon Antique Gear Hound Dog."

A green mechanical mech appeared on his side field with a underbite showing sharp metal fangs from the mouth.(Lvl 3/Att 1000/Def 1000)

"Now I activate its effect. I can deal you 600 life points of damage! Hound Flame!"

Said Hound opened its mouth revealing a flamethrower from inside the-

"Not so fast! I activate the Continuous Spell card from my hand Cyber Sense Cool down!" The named card flipped into existence.

"I can activate this card during my opponent turn whenever effect damage is about to be dealt. Once effect damage is about to be dealt, I can turn the damage down to zero and activate one of these effects in response; draw a card or gain life points equal to the amount. I choose to draw a card."

"Tch! I can still attack, Antique Gear Hound Dog attack Cyber Valley!"

"And he called me out for my plays last turn..." Michael shook his head at the apparent recklessness of Daisuke.

"Cyber Valley's effect activates when it is being targeted for an attack; I can banish it, end the battle phase, and draw a card."

A golden light washes over the monster before being removed from the field.

Daisuke {}:5

Michael {}:2

Sanders off in the stand could only witness the duel in shock that a mere child has come to the possession of a deck that once been held by the legendary duelist Zane Truesdale. He held numerous lectures throughout Academia about said person's cards that allowed him to Fusion powerful monsters that could easily turn his opponents' cards against themselves, especially his Obelisk students in training that use Antique Gear Decks.

"Chrono, how could you hide such a diamond among the batch of freshmen from me. Look at him, quickly stopping my students on their track," Sanders said as he saw Chinatsu made her move.

"Unlike you Sanders, I care for my students and do not treat them as mere soldiers like you do," he huffed back while receiving a glare from the Obelisk instructor in return.

Turn 3: Chinatsu

Life Points: 4000

{}:6

"Don't worry Daisuke, I'll help pull your weight throughout this duel. Watashi no tann, draw! Let's start with the Spell Card Fusion Conscription! First I target 1 Fusion Monster in my extra deck, and I chose Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog; this lets me add a Fusion Material listed on the card from my Deck to my hand. I add Antique Gear Hound Dog, but it can't be summoned onto the field. That's where this card comes into play! Fusion!" She slammed the card into her duel disk.

"I fuse with the three Antique Gear Hound Dog in my hand. Come forth, Level Seven! Appear! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!"

Another mechanical dog came on the field, this time larger than its material and three times the amount heads. (Lvl 7/Att 1800/Def 1000)

'I can't do anything as long as those Cyber Valley are on the field. If I attack he'll just end the battle phase and draw another card, but if I don't there will still be two of them on the field.' "Attack the Cyber Valley, Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!"

"Once again Cyber Valley's effects activate, I banish, end the battle phase, and draw a card," Michael repeated the action he once did on Daisuke turn.

"What did you say before? 'Picking up my slack' huh Chinatsu?" Daisuke mocked.

"If you don't shut that mouth of yours Daisuke, I'll shove my fist in there instead!" A malicious aura exuded from her making her even more threatening towards her fellow tag partner.

"If you two love birds are done squabbling, I'd like to get this duel done and over with it!" Michael shouted across at the two. He was no longer his excited self when the duel began, but rather irritated instead that his whole idea was becoming a waste a time.

With the both of them embarrassed from the loud exclamation and the surrounding students snickering at them for being played like a fool, Chinatsu ended her turn.

Chinatsu {}:1

Michael {}:3

Turn 4: Michael

Life Points: 4000

{}:4

"For a pair of Obelisk student who are said to be trained by this school's top instructor when it comes to dueling and strategy, you sure are failing to live up to it. Chronos does a better job at teaching if this is all you can do! Ore no taan, draw!"

"I summon Cyber Ouroboros in Attack Mode."

Another serpentine appeared on the field, but varying from the one alongside it. This one had glowing red eyes and a harpoon-like weapon at the end of its tail. Also, there were two yellow rings on each side past its head where a purple glass case was. (Lvl 2/Att 100/Def 600)

"So what, you can't attack either one of our monsters. That thing's ATK points are a measly 100," Chinatsu stated.

"If you'd learn anything from this duel, that is not what I'm going for. I activate Cyber Valley's secondary effect. By banishing one face-up monster I control, in this case, my Cyber Ouroboros and this card, I draw two more cards. Doing this also triggers Ouroboros' effect, letting me discard a card in my hand to draw another."

Just like that, his last line of defense was completely gone by his own hands.

"Big deal if you restocked your hand. You already wasted your Normal Summon and can no longer stall the Duel. Face it, kid, it's over!" Daisuke continued to belittle his opponent, but continuing to fail to intimidate Michael every single shot he took. Except for this time, a chuckle can be heard.

"You're right, it is over... for you! You're not exactly the brightest banana in the bunch, huh Daisuke? It surprises me that you are an Obelisk Blue in the first place, from the lack skill I keep seeing and the fact that you're wasting your breath trying to trash talk me."

Immediately after hearing that, Daisuke's face turned red from the anger building up inside him. Being criticized by a mere a freshman of all people.

"Besides how can I call myself an Academia student if I didn't know how to Fusion Summon?" Michael pulled out the card that would put an end to all this tiresome farce of a Duel.

'Is that what he was aiming for this entire time? To gather the necessary Materials for a Fusion Summon?!' Sanders thought to himself.

"When my opponent controls a monster, and I don't, I can special summon this card from my hand. Show yourself, Cyber Dragon!" (Lvl 5/Att 2100/Def 1600)

"That monster can easily destroy one of ours. Should have Summoned Double Bite Hound Dog instead of going for Triple, at least that way it couldn't attack." Chinatsu was starting to regret her actions now for not considering the options she had when playing Fusion.

"What to do, what to do?" Michael mused aloud. "I can destroy one of your monsters, but I'm afraid that will still leave the both of you Life Points to continue. So how about I fuse with your monsters instead!"

"Wait, what?! You can't do that!" Daisuke yelled from across the field.

"Oh yes I can! The monster I'm going to Summon allows me to send its Materials from either side of the field, I don't even have to use Fusion! Besides, it's your fault for not taking precautions."

Daisuke and Chinatsu could only watch as their monster turned into orbs of light alongside Michael Cyber Dragon while he chanted.

"Grotesque assembly of machines mash together to barricade the gates of the underworld! Show yourself! Yūgo Shokan! Level eight! Appear! Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"

Every monster that Michael had Summoned before were tame compared to the large machine that he Summoned. Its serpent body had multiple opening for each Cyber Dragon head coming out of its length, and eyes that represented aiming reticles to target their enemies. "It attacks points are equal to the sum of its fusion materials times 1000."(Lvl 8/Att 3000/Def 0)

"That's not all though I activate both of my faces down cards! Cybernetic Enhancement A.I. and Limiter Removal! First, the effect of Limiter Removal! Fortress' ATK is doubled!"

(3000-6000)

"6-6000 points," Daisuke stuttered while falling on his rear at the sheer horror that the monster can wipe one of them out in one go.

"Don't worry Daisuke, you won't be going down alone because Cybernetic Enhancement A.I. lets a monster that lists Cyber Dragon as a material to attack equal to the number of Fusion Materials used to Fusion Summon it. That makes three attacks, more than enough for the both of you."

Michael gave a horrifying smile that suited a deranged maniac while tilting his head to add to the madness that was about to lay upon them. The monster's blue eyes suddenly turned red, turning to the pair like it has a mind of its own.

Chinatsu might not look as frightened as Daisuke, but she was sweating bullets and having an inner turmoil of the effects of this guaranteed loss would have on her. If they were alone, it wouldn't be as much of a problem other than bruising her ego for taking a first-year too lightly. But this was in front of her teachers and colleagues...

"Go Chimeratech Fortress Dragon! Evolution Barrage Bastion Burst!"

The blue laser that fired from the Chimeratech's multiple heads engulfed the two duelists in a ray of blinding light. Nothing compared to the pain they now had faced as the only thing escaping from their mouths were the torturous screams of agony.

For everybody else, they had to cover their eyes from the dazzling attack launch on the victims. Once things died down, they witnessed the horror of the two Obelisk Blue students lying on the ground, with parts of their bodies steaming from the devastation unleashed upon then. Looks of horror were written all over their faces...except for Yuri, who was amazed more than anything from witnessing it.

How'd he miss such a powerful opponent that was hiding among the first year as he did? Sure, he'd share the same classes with Michael, but the boy tended to be very quiet a good majority of the time in class unless called upon and away from others.

Well, he was not going to let this perfect opportunity slip away from him, especially under the circumstances of this being a promotion exam. Michael was going to be his third match, and he would make sure of it.

Part 2: Cybers Vs Predator Plants! Emerge, CD CD!

See you next time on Adventures of an Academia Student!


	3. Cybers vs Predator Plants! Emerge CD CD!

**Thank you for waiting everyone for this chapter to arrive. Also got to thank Shimmering-sky for her help on writing Yuri and bringing this chapter to you.**

"Well, that was the longest ten minutes of my life," Michael said to himself while watching the two duelists get carried way on stretchers, still smoking from his last attack. He didn't care for those novices, he wondered just how they qualified to be Obelisk Blues when they were that easy to beat. He also wondered if he would get a second rank up off the bat for defeating them.

It seemed like a majority of the students around Michael were taking a few step backs. All of them were silent and staring at him in horror. Striking fear into them, it felt good.

Sanders, on the other hand, was both furious and astounded at the result of the Duel, snapping his riding crop in two. The little brother of Edo Pheonix defeated both of his trained students single-handedly, and without taking a single point of damage to boot.

Chronos was quite the opposite. Although still a bit frightful of that last attack, he was relieved that none of the symptoms of Michael's illness came up. He was about to poke fun at Sanders, something along the lines of being the better teacher and knowing how to use Antique Gears correctly, but after seeing the rage on the man's face, he decided to take a few steps back instead.

Unknown to Michael, a pair of purple eyes from the audience was staring directly at him. The owner of them was not scared in the slightest, and wormed his way past his fear-struck classmates. The entire time, his eyes never left the younger Phoenix brother, who was currently lost in thought about what to do next.

Soon, the sound of clapping filled the air, coming from the pink-and-purple-haired boy. Turning to the source, Michael laid his eyes upon the cabbage-head. It was Yuri, not that Michael cared, he didn't bother remembering names. A nickname like cabbage-head suited that boy just fine.

"Amazing! I've never seen someone that strong before... well, other than myself," Yuri said.

'Wow, superiority complex much?' Michael thought, his first thought about Yuri.

"Thanks for the compliment... I think? Whatever, save it for later. I'm going to go get my new colored jacket and go take a nap." Michael began to leave, but was stopped by a fierce grip on his arm.

"I'm afraid that's going to have to wait, because I challenge you to a Duel." Yuri glared at Michael, his grip tight to keep his potential prey from escaping.

The students, however, broke into an uproar around them. Chronos' eyes widened while he pulled on a handkerchief with his mouth and Sanders seemed to have a feral grin come on to his face.

The next words out of Michael were not what Yuri expected. "Are you touching me?" Michael asked, harshly pulling his arm out of Yuri's grasp before turning to face him. "And besides why would I want to Duel you? I only needed defeat two duelists at the minimum for a promotion, now I have the rest of the day to myself. There's no reason for me to Duel you." He turned back around to what he intended to do.

Chronos released a sigh, glad that his student turned down the challenge. Only to begin chewing on his handkerchief again as Yuri refused to back down.

"Are you, Michael Phoenix, afraid to face me?" Yuri taunted.

Michael didn't even turn around. In fact, he kept walking away. "No, I'm just willing to do the bare minimum and then relax for the rest of the day like I deserve," Michael quipped back, not even bothered by the trash coming out of the cabbage-head's mouth.

"That's your argument? Just satisfied with doing the minimum?" He continued to pester the younger Phoenix brother.

"Yup," Michael said, popping the p in the word.

"No wonder everybody talks down to you. You're nothing like your brother, Edo."

That stopped Michael in his tracks.

'Oh, I struck a cord.' Yuri grinned, now knowing what to do to lure in his prey. "Edo would never back down from the challenge, unlike you. A lazy person such as yourself will always pale in comparison to him."

If there was anything he hated the most, it was that _EVERYONE_ compared him to Edo. Yes, he loved his brother and cared for him like brothers should, but having to deal with this sort of expectation every single waking moment was much too stressful. He _HATED_ that people didn't see him like he was his own person! Why did he _HAVE_ to be exactly like Edo?!

Michael whipped around, glaring at Yuri. "I am _SICK_ of people comparing me to my brother! Fine, you want a Duel? I'll Duel! But don't start _CRYING_ when I beat you!"

At the declaration, Chronos' eyes rolled to the back of his head, his head smacking against the guard rail of the observation deck on his way to the floor. Sanders just shook his head at the blond teacher's antics.

Turn 1: Michael  
Life Points: 4000  
[]: 5

"I hope you don't mind Yuri, but I prefer to go first," Michael started while drawing his starting hand. Once he got a good look at it, he started to suck his teeth bitterly for a brief moment, seeing that he has only one monster out of the five cards. But, he had a way out of this.

"Let's open up with this. I activate the Spell, Cyber Deal. This lets me Special Summon two Machine-Type monsters from my Deck whose Levels are less than or equal to 3. And the two monster I pick are Cyber Valley and Cyber Ouroboros, in Attack Mode." CV(Lvl 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) CO(Lvl 2/ATK 100/DEF 600)

"In exchange, you get to Summon a Level 3 or lower monster from your Deck, too." Michael frowned at the idea since it's basically giving his opponent a free Special Summon on his first turn. Outside of a card effect, he wouldn't be able to get rid of it this turn, and he didn't have that card effect.

Yuri thought for a moment. "I choose my Level 3 Predator Plant Cephalotus Snail, in Attack Mode."

A monster came onto the field. It reminded Michael more of a pitcher plant than a snail in his opinion, what with the monster having a green veiny body with bright red and yellow lips, topped with a blue and purple lid that seemed to cover its mouth. (Lvl 3/ATK 1300/DEF 1200)

'So he's opening up with those two again from the last Duel,' Yuri observed, continuing to watch Michael's play while already knowing what to expect to come next.

"Next I activate Machine Duplication from my hand. This lets me Special Summon up to two monsters with the same name as the targeted monster from my Deck. But see, I have two Machine Duplications meaning that I'll be copying both of my monsters."

Two more copies of Cyber Valley appear alongside the original while another Ouroboros shows itself all in attack mode.

Just like he expected from his opponent. Those two monsters worked together to give Michael draw power. Yuri narrowed his eyes, formulating a strategy to get around those nuisances of monsters.

"Next I activate Cyber Valley's secondary effect, letting me banish one other monster I control and this card to draw two cards. So say goodbye to Cyber Ouroboros." Both of the named monsters were gone after a golden light engulfed them from the field.

"Ouroboros' effect is triggered; when it's banished, I can discard a card to draw another. I discard Cyberdark Keel and draw!" He slid the card into his Duel Disk and fluidly drew his new card. Then he pointed to his second Cyber Valley. "I'll activate my second Cyber Valley's effect, banishing my remaining Cyber Ouroboros and triggering its effect again." Yuri watched unamused while Michael chose to discard Electromagnetic Turtle this time to draw again.

"I set three cards and end my turn," he finished.

Turn 2: Yuri  
Life Points: 4000  
[]: 5

"How boring," Yuri muttered, shaking his head. Clearly this match was not worth his full strength. "Boku no taan. Draw!"

"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card Fusion!" he declared, sliding the card into his Duel Disk. He then held up two of the cards from his hand before promptly sliding them into the Graveyard. "I fuse the Predator Plant Cordyceps and Predator Plant Darling Cobra in my hand together!"

A shriveled plant with wide eyes on its red tip and a mass at the bottom swallowing up its roots and a much healthier-looking one with a black head on one end of it and a violet flower on the other appeared behind Yuri, if only for a moment before they turned into orbs of light and absorbed into the spiral behind him.

"Two beautiful flowers with a deadly alluring fragrance! Become one right now, and reveal the corpse flower hidden behind your petals! Yūgo Shokan! Appear! Level 7! Predator Plant Chimera Rafflesia!"

A giant monster created of interconnected vines, crowned with a massive pink-and-white flower, appeared on Yuri's field. Several of the vines also had faceless mouths, which move around as they hungered for battle. (Lvl 7/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

"Chimera Rafflesia's effect activates!" Yuri continued, smirking as he extended a hand to Michael's lone monster. "Once per turn, I can target a monster with a Level equal to or lower than its own, and banish it! So, you won't be able to use your Cyber Valley's effect!"

The vines with mouths lashed out at the mechanical beast, tearing it apart and forcing it through a portal of shadows.

"And now—"

"Not so fast!" Michael interjected, flipping up one of his face-down cards. "Because one of my 'Cyber' monsters was removed from the field, I can activate my Counter Trap, Cyber Attack Protocol System! This lets me Special Summon Proto-Cyber Dragon from my Deck!"

A snake-like machine made of dark-grey metal appeared before Michael, its eyes and mouth lined with orange coils. (Lvl 3/ATK 1100/DEF 600)

"And when a monster with 1500 or less ATK is Special Summoned to my field, I can activate my Quick-Play Spell Inferno Reckless Summon," Michael continued, flipping up the other card. "Now you can choose a monster you control, and you Special Summon all copies you have of it from anywhere, while I also Special Summon anything with the same name as the monster I Special Summoned… however, since Proto-Cyber Dragon is treated as 'Cyber Dragon' when it's on the field, I get to bring out all three copies of the real Cyber Dragon from my Deck!"

Yuri 'tch'ed in frustration as three more mechanical snakes filled Michael's field, these ones a lighter color and also larger than Proto-Cyber Dragon. (Lvl 5/ATK 2100/DEF 2000)

"Fine, then I Special Summon my other copy of Predator Plant Cephalotus Snail from my Deck," the purple-haired boy said. At the very least, this ensured he would have more Fusion Material for his next turn.

"I'll have my first Cephalotus Snail attack your Proto-Cyber Dragon!" Yuri declared.

But Michael only smiled, flipping up his last face down. "I activate my Trap Card, Attack Reflector Unit! I release my Proto-Cyber Dragon treated as Cyber Dragon, and Special Summon Cyber Barrier Dragon from my Deck!"

Yet another mechanical snake made its way onto the field, only this time, it was much longer than the others, and had an odd construct around its head that fanned out like a chubby satellite dish. (Lvl 6/ATK 800/DEF 2800)

"Then my Cephalotus Snail will just have to attack Cyber Barrier Dragon instead!"

"Cyber Barrier Dragon's effect activates! I can negate an attack once per turn while it's in Attack Mode!"

The device around the robot created a purple barrier, bouncing the plant monster back to Yuri's side when it struck the barrier head on.

"It can only negate the first attack, though," Yuri commented, his grin coming back. "Which means, Chimera Rafflesia! Attack Cyber Barrier Dragon!"

Michael shook his head. "It's time for Electromagnetic Turtle's effect now; by banishing it from my Graveyard, your Battle Phase is ended!"

Yuri scowled; perhaps he shouldn't have held back on this boy. But, it didn't matter. He'd win all the same. He glanced back through his hand, selecting a Trap from it, and sliding it into his Duel Disk. "I set a card face-down. Turn end."

Turn 3: Michael  
Life Points: 4000  
[]: 4

Michael had a grin sporting on his face after seeing Yuri's infuriated look from failing to destroy any of his monsters and harm his Life Points. "Boku no taan. Draw!" A swift click of the tongue came out of him after seeing he drawn another Spell Card.

"I activate the Spell Card Foolish Burial from my hand. This lets me send a monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, and I choose to send Cyberdark Edge to join with Keel in the Graveyard." The named card ejected itself out from the deck before Michael sent it to the graveyard.

"He's planning something," Yuri said to himself while narrowing his eyes, questioning the actions of his opponent. Nothing Michael did mattered, so far none of his monsters could overcome Chimera Rafflesia's 2500 attack.

"Next up from my hand, I activate another Spell Card known as Machina Relay Surge. Here's the deal, I mill a Spell Card from my deck, and I can use that card's effect right now. The Spell Card I send is Photon Generation Unit, which lets me tribute two Cyber Dragons to Special Summon Cyber Laser Dragon!"

Both of his mechanical snakes disappeared with a new one taking its place, except this one was more modified than the others, blades sticking out of its long body leading up the tail to what looked like a laser of some sorts with triangular panels around it. (Lvl 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1800)

"So you Summoned a bigger snake. Your monster still doesn't come anywhere near my Chimera Rafflesia, Michael," Yuri pointed out.

Michael nodded. "That may be so, but that's exactly what I need! I activate Cyber Laser Dragon effect! It lets me destroy one monster on the field whose ATK or DEF is greater than or equal to its own, and your Chimera Rafflesia fits both of those conditions perfectly," he said while pointing at Chimera Rafflesia.

Yuri could only cover his face while a bright blue laser fired out of the dragon's tail. It cut Chimera Rafflesia diagonally in half before causing the flowering creature to explode. He lowered his arm when the smoke cleared, almost growling at how easy his Fusion Monster was destroyed. But… it did give him a good opportunity that Michael wouldn't know about at all.

"Now battle! Cyber Laser Dragon attack Predator Plant Cephalotus Snail!"

Again the laser came down on one of his monsters, but this a smirk came upon his face.

"I'll make sure you will regret that, because I activate the Trap Card Predator Germination!" The face down card flipped up. "When one of my Dark monster is targeted for an attack, it cannot be destroyed in battle and instead the attacking monster will be destroyed! Not only that, but I am also allowed to Special Summon three Predator Plant Tokens!"

Three small purple-like plants with carnivorous jaws appeared on Yuri's field, all of them staring at Michael. (Lvl 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)

"What!" Michael yelled unable to stop his monster from attacking.

"Furthermore, Predator Plant Cephalotus Snail's effect means that I'll only take half of the damage!" Yuri declared with one of his Snails taking the attack head on, but it didn't shatter, and the wind from the attack was only a minor inconvenience. (4000-3450)

"Now, with the battle over, time to say farewell to Cyber Laser Dragon!"

The next thing Michael knew was that a cloud of smoke covered his vision for a moment from the explosion of his monster.

Choosing to end the Battle Phase was probably his best option. Even though he could possibly destroy one of Yuri's tokens, he had no idea what else Yuri could have up his sleeve. "Before I end my turn, I activate another Spell Card from my hand, Different Dimension Capsule. This lets me banish a card from deck face down and during my second Standby Phase after this I can add it to my hand."

Suddenly a sarcophagus with what seemed to be a clock attached to the upper half appeared. It slid open, allowing Michael to banish his chosen card inside.

Yuri was really beginning to get irritated by the number of Spell Cards Michael had been using. It was a wonder how his opponent was still able to bring out monsters to counter him.

"And finally, I end my turn with one card face down and by switching both my monsters to Defense Mode," Michael begrudgingly said, putting the last card in hand face-down and turning the monsters on his Duel Disk sideways.

Turn 4: Yuri  
LP: 3450  
[]: 2

Yuri's smile came back. Michael would certainly regret destroying his Fusion Monster. "Boku no taan, draw!" he declared, swiftly pulling the card out of his Deck. He then extended his hand while his smirk grew wider. "Now then, since Predator Plant Chimera Rafflesia was sent to my Graveyard since the last Standby Phase, its effect allows me to return Fusion to my hand!"

Michael's eyes widened at that. "What?!"

"Of course, I'll be using the Fusion card I just got back," Yuri continued, his smirk growing wider and wider as the familiar rush of power beat through his chest. "I'll be using two of my Predator Plant Tokens as Material!"

Two of the small plants turned into light and spiraled behind Yuri.

"Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Join together and create a new terror from the hell that lies beneath your petals! Yūgo Shokan! Come forth! Poisonous dragon with hungering fangs! Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!"

A dragon with a dark-green serpentine body and violet limbs appeared before Yuri. Part of its legs and what must be its wings were unhinged jaws, dripping a horrifying liquid off their fangs. The red orbs set across its body and the yellow ones in its hands glowed dimly, and the dragon roared. (Lvl 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2000)

Michael stepped back, gawking at the dragon. So this was Yuri's ace monster that everyone talked about. He could definitely see why people would fear it. However… "Your dragon still doesn't have the strength to defeat my Cyber Barrier Dragon! And even if you do, your Cephalotus Snails are too weak to destroy my remaining Cyber Dragon!"

Yuri just laughed and spread his arms. "Oh, you think so? I'm nowhere close to done just yet! Starve Venom's effect activates: because it was Fusion Summoned using only monsters on the field as Material, it gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Special Summoned monsters you control for the rest of the turn!"

"What?!"

The jaws of Starve Venom's wings opened even further, absorbing violet light from both of Michael's monsters for a moment. (2800-5700)

"Even now, my field is not complete!" Yuri continued, taking one of the cards from his hand and showing it off. "I activate the Equip Spell Predator Graft, which equips to the Chimera Rafflesia you so kindly destroyed last turn and Special Summons it back to my field!" The massive plant returns to the field. "Now then, you remember its effect, don't you? I'll be banishing your Cyber Barrier Dragon this turn!"

Michael hissed in frustration as his monster was dragged into the dark portal that would banish it.

"But, that's not all~!" Yuri continued, revealing one of the other cards in his hand. "I activate the Spell Fusion Substitute, which allows me to Fusion Summon using monsters on my field! I'll be fusing Chimera Rafflesia with my remaining Predator Token!"

Both named monsters spiraled behind Yuri, and Michael braced himself for what was to come.

"Two beautiful flowers with an enchanting fragrance! Combine your power and release the carrion dragon sleeping beneath your petals! Yūgo Shokan! Appear! Level 8! Predator Plant Dragostapelia!"

The second dragon to appear on Yuri's field had a dark-green body, just like Starve Venom, only it was a different shade and made up of pointed leaves. It had proper wings, too; the underside was a dark purple while the ends held budding white flowers. On its back was a massive stapelia flower, sharp teeth in the center of it. (Lvl 8/ATK 2700/DEF 1900)

"Now then, Battle Phase!" Yuri announced. "Predator Plant Dragostapelia, attack and destroy his lone Cyber Dragon!"

The buds of the flowers on Dragostapelia's wings opened up, revealing the array of fangs within them. The dragon roared and flew at the mechanical serpent, dragging its claws across the beast before the flowers on its back swallowed its pieces. Cyber Dragon shattered without a chance to fight back.

"And now… the last attack! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, attack his Life Points directly!"

Once again, the mouths on Starve Venom's wings opened up again, only this time for a very different reason. Twenty-two orbs of light appeared behind the dragon, with an array of magenta-colored light connecting the orbs. Some of the very same tendrils trapped Michael in place while Starve Venom's head reared back and then shot a white-hot beam of blue light directly at him.

The tendrils retracted into Starve Venom's wings as a cloud of smoke obscures Michael's half of the field. Yuri let out a proud grunt, turning away from the field and actually starting to walk away. But then…

"Walking away when the Duel's not even over?" Michael called from within the cloud of smoke. A card on his field was glowing, and soon enough the smoke drifted away to reveal it. The Trap Power Wall.

Yuri scowled, glaring at the card. "So, you milled twelve cards from your Deck in order to dodge my attack. Tch. Fine then, both of my Cephalotus Snails attack you directly!"

The two plants charged forward, each chomping down on Michael's arms. He flinched from the force of the attacks that felt so real thanks to the Solid Vision. (4000-1400)

"Before I end my turn, I activate the effect of Fusion Substitute in my Graveyard," Yuri said, annoyed at how long Michael had lasted already. "I return Chimera Rafflesia to my Extra Deck and draw a card." He stared at it and scowled, it wouldn't really help him right now. "I Set a card face-down and end my turn. At this moment, Starve Venom's ATK returns to normal." (5700-2800)

Michael had gotten lucky during Yuri's last turn, and he knew it. If he hadn't set down Power Wall the previous turn, he would have lost. But that rush of adrenaline was something he had never felt before, his blood boiling ever since this match had begun. Not only him, but his Deck was resonating with the desire to win against Yuri, someone who was able to back him so far against the wall. "I won't let it end here just yet," Michael whispered to himself after recovering from the double attack.

Turn 5: Michael  
Life Points: 1400  
[]:4

"Boku no taan, draw!" He pulled the top card out of his deck and nearly groaned to himself seeing that he didn't draw another monster to help him in his current predicament. However, this wouldn't be the only card he pulled this turn.

"At this point, I return the card banished by Different Dimension Capsule to my hand."

"How? It hasn't been two turns yet since you activated that Spell Card," Yuri questioned Michael's play while he watched the banished card get ejected from the Duel Disk for Michael to add to his hand.

"You see, Yuri, the card I banished in the first place Card from a Different Dimension," Michael revealed the added card while Yuri was getting mixed signals from it. That Spell was a double-edged sword when used.

"When this card is removed from play, I can add it to my hand during my next Standby Phase. And if this card is returned this way, we both draw 2 cards." The two never gave up eye contact while they drew from their respective Deck.

After getting a good luck at the cards in his hand, he knew what needed to be done: rebuild his deck after this duel was done. He'd been getting way too many Spells compared to Traps and monsters. Still, he could work with what he had. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn," he finished. Not the move he wanted to do, but it was his only option to survive at least one more turn.

Turn 6: Yuri  
Life Points: 3450  
[]: 4

Yuri narrowed his eyes at Michael's face downs. Michael looked confident that those cards would protect him, and with his entire hand made up of monsters, Yuri wouldn't be able to counter them. If he drew what he wanted, though… "Boku no taan. Draw!"

Upon seeing the card, he clicked his tongue in disdain. It wasn't what he wanted, at all. "Hmph. Battle! Starve Venom, attack him directly!"

"That won't be happening!" Michael shouted, flipping up his Set card. "I activate my Quick-Play Spell, Cyberdark Sacrilege! I send my other Set card, Cyber Network, to the Graveyard, and then I can Special Summon Cyberdark Horn from my Graveyard! But not only that, the effect of Cyber Network triggers; because it was sent to the Graveyard, I Special Summon all three of my banished Cyber Valleys along with Electromagnetic Turtle, but they can't activate their effects!"

'Of course, he had a way to fill his field again…' Yuri growled; this was dragging on far too long already. "Starve Venom attacks Cyberdark Horn instead."

"I can banish Cyberdark Sacrilege from my Graveyard to save Horn from destruction just this once!"

Tch. 'If only I had a piercing effect…!' "Fine then! Dragostapelia will attack Horn, and my two Cephalotus Snails will attack two of your Cyber Valleys!"

At last, his attacks went through, leaving only two monsters still on Michael's field, and no Set cards. Michael couldn't stall forever… "I Set a card face-down. Turn end."

It was luck that saved him again from Yuri's last barrage of attacks; Michael had to admit. If it weren't for drawing those two exact cards last turn moment, this Duel would have ended with him as the loser for once in his life. The very idea of losing to someone else made both rage and excitement bubble in his stomach, making him shake a bit. 'Too bad this is going to be the last turn.' Michael looked at his current field and hand. A lone monster and two spell cards in hand. This next draw would decide who won this Duel.

Turn 7: Michael  
Life Points: 1400  
[]: 3

He took a deep breath, then exhaled, trying to steady his rapidly-beating heart. It wasn't supposed to be that fast. He needed to end this, now. He placed a hand on his Deck, his eyes shut. "Boku no taan. Draw!" He yelled with much vigor as possible in his exhausted state.

He cast a single glance at the card he had drawn before a smile started to spread across his face.

"Well, Yuri looks like I won't be the one losing this Duel! I activate the Spell Card Cyber Repair Plant! Depending on the number of Cyber Dragons I have in the Graveyard, I can activate one or both of this card's effects. The effect that I choose to is to add a LIGHT Machine-Type monster from my Deck to my hand!" he yelled, while his Deck shuffled itself and ejected the designating card out.

Instead of being threatened from the monster card Michael picked, Yuri was having a tough time keeping a grin from showing because out of all the tricks Michael had pulled this Duel, this was the one that he was more than prepared to counter.

"By banishing my three Cyber Dragons, three Cyber Valleys, one Proto-Cyber Dragon, one Electromagnetic Turtle, and my two Cyber Larvas, I can Special Summon Cyber Eltanin from my hand!" Michael continued. Each time he named a card, it left his Graveyard or his field, in the case of Electromagnetic Turtle.

A large beam of light came down onto the field before dispersing, revealing a massive mechanical dragon head right in front of Michael, six smaller heads floating around it. Each head had massive steel jaws, and what seemed to be a Cyber Dragon was attached to the top of the central head.

"Cyber Eltanin's ATK is equal to the amount of cards banished to summon it times 500, making its attack 5000! That's not all, when it's Special Summoned, it can send all other face-up monsters to the Graveyard!"

Each of the heads on the mechanical monstrosity opened their mouths, revealing a laser preparing to fire.

"I won't let you! I activate Predator Plant Dragostapelia's effect! I can place one Predator Counter on your monster, and Dragostapelia's secondary effect negates the effects of any monster with a Predator Counter on it. That includes Eltanin's ATK boost!" Yuri laughed as he watched as the small green Predator Counter bit the central head, causing it to power down and each of the floating ones to fall to the ground.

"Looks like your ace in the hole overheated itself," Yuri quipped from his side of the field looking at the pitiful monster that could have possibly taken out his entire line of monsters, let alone the rest of his Life Points.

Michael, on the other hand, clenched his fists in rage and growled. A dark aura suddenly washed over him changing his entire demeanor from being the level-headed person he is to a deadly serious duelist. At the sight of him, everyone took a step back, even Yuri. The boy was acting almost like a vicious animal. "I activate the Spell card Card of Sanctity, banishing all the cards on my side the field and hand to draw 2 cards."

He removed both of his monsters and his Spell from the field, then drew his two cards. One of them had a noticeable dark glint around it.

A deranged grin came onto Michael's face from looks of both cards. He took one of them. "I activate the Spell Cyber Corrosion!" The Spell flipped into existence, still giving off that dark vibe. "I can perform a Fusion Summon by banishing monsters from my field or Graveyard."

The three Cyberdark monsters, Horn, Edge, and Keel appeared behind him, spiraling away. Yuri eyed them cautiously, this was going to be Michael's first Fusion Monster this turn… not to mention that he'd already used Dragostapelia's effect to put a counter on Eltanin.

"Oh, demonic hybrid that crawls the ground of the underworld, feasting on the prey that dare cross your path. Rise up and reveal yourself from the depth of hell! Yūgo Shokan! Appear! Level 10! Cyberdark Centipede Dragon!"

At the moment the chant ended, the ground shook from the sheer size of the large body of the monster coming onto the field. Unlike most dragons having wings, this one did not, instead having thousand of legs to carry it around. Its long, mechanical insect body was jet black while its legs were a green color for contrast. But the most frightening part was its blood-red head equipped with large mandibles ready to rip a monster apart in seconds. (Lvl 10/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)

"After the Fusion Summon is successful, Cyber Corrosion allows me to add the Materials used to my hand and draw a card." The crazy smile on Michael's face grew wider as the monster curled its massive body around him in a protective manner.

"Now, Cyberdark Centipede Dragon's effect activates: I can equip a monster in either Graveyard or on the field to it, increasing its ATK by that of the equipped monster's." His eyes glowered at a certain monster on Yuri's field. "I'll be taking your Starve Venom Fusion Dragon."

In the blink of an eye, Yuri's main monster was trapped by thousands of the hybrid monster's legs. (3000-5800)

Yuri stared at the behemoth, his hand twitching while his chest hurt and his blood boiled. How dare he, how dare Michael take his monster. "You scum. Even with that power boost, I'll still have Life Points if you att—"

Michael's laughter cut him off. "It's sad that you think you'll survive this turn. The card I drew with Cyber Corrosion was Limiter Removal!" Michael slid the named card into his Duel Disk, doubling his monster's ATK in the process. (5800-11600)

"1-1-11,600 ATK," Yuri stuttered, taking a step back. That was more than he could handle. He… would lose? Impossible… Impossible… He was the strongest, not Michael!

"More than enough to take you down. Battle! Cyberdark Centipede Dragon att—" His sentence was cut off when his knees gave out. His face ran pale and his chest hurt. He couldn't breathe. He fell forward, coughing, and watched the globs of blood splatter on the floor.

Not now. Why was this happening now?! Of all the times?!

"N-No just a little longer…" He willed himself to stretch a hand toward Yuri's monster. If he could just… declare the… attack…

His vision faded to black before he could say another word.

Cyber Deal  
Normal Spell  
Effect: Special Summon 2 Machine-Type monsters from your Deck whose Levels are less than or equal to 3. Then, your opponent can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower monster from their Deck.

Cyber Attack Protocol System  
Counter Trap  
Effect: When a card leaves your field: Special Summon 1 LIGHT Machine-Type monster from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.

Machina Relay Surge  
Normal Spell  
Effect: Activate only if you control a face-up Machine-Type monster and/or if you have a Machine-Type monster in your Graveyard; send 1 Spell Card from your Deck to the Graveyard, then replace this effect with the effect listed on that card.

Cyberdark Sacrilege  
Quick-Play Spell  
Effect: Send 1 card on your side of the field to the Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Cyberdark" monster that is either banished or in your Graveyard, ignoring its Summoning conditions. You can banish this card from your Graveyard, then target 1 face-up monster you control; the next time it would be destroyed this turn, it is not destroyed.

Cyber Corrosion  
Normal Spell  
Effect: Fusion Summon 1 "Cyber" Fusion monster, by banishing its listed Materials from your field and/or your Graveyard. After the Fusion Monster is successfully Fusion Summoned: You can add its banished Fusion Materials to your hand, then draw 1 card. You can only activate "Cyber Corrosion" once per turn.

Cyberdark Centipede Dragon  
DARK Machine/Fusion/Effect  
Level 10(Fusion monster) Level 10  
Materials: 3 or more "Cyberdark" monsters  
Effect: When this card is Fusion Summoned: Target 1 face-up monster on the field, 1 monster in either player's Graveyard, OR 1 banished monster; equip that target to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the equipped monster. During either player's turn, if this card would be destroyed OR when your opponent activates a card effect: You can destroy the monster equipped to this card; negate this card's destruction or the activation of that card, then inflict damage equal to the that monster's ATK.  
3000 ATK  
3000 DEF


End file.
